President Obama announced tonight in very broad terms that he would expand "deferred action" to millions of undocumented immigrants beyond the DACA program of 2012 (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). The new program, to begin in 2015,…

President Obama announced tonight in very broad terms that he would expand "deferred action" to millions of undocumented immigrants beyond the DACA program of 2012 (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). The new program, to begin in 2015,…

President Obama is scheduled to announce his plan for Executive Action on immigration tonight at 5pm PST. Most of the networks will NOT be carrying his speech. However, CNN, MSNBC, Telemundo and Univision among others will, although this…

Immigration and Deportation

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans on implementing a new, improved system to track individuals who overstay their U.S. tourist or work visa. DHS plans to begin the program in the next few weeks, and the program will trace future…

Since the 19th century, immigrants have been coming to the U. S. in hopes of creating better lives for themselves and their families. Since then, the U.S. has become a melting pot of different ethnicities, cultures and religions. According to…

A Fox News Latino poll conducted under Latin Insights was released on Monday, March 5 and consisted of 1,200 likely Latino voters in the U.S. The poll showed that 73 percent think Obama’s performance in office is satisfactory and more than…

The word “astronaut” is derived from the Greek word meaning “space sailor” and refers specifically to members of the United States’ space program, NASA. “Space sailors” in other parts of the world have different names, such as…

After 9 months of labor, our new website was born on February 17th. I hope that you will agree that after 16 years of being a content-rich, but a rather ugly-looking site, the new site is considerably better looking.
I also hope that the site…

WiggiBlawg

A Generation Gap Over Immigration - NYTimes.com
RAD~ Here are some excerpts from a really interesting article in the NYT....I often find it fascinating to try to understand what influences me to think the way I do about things and why others…

Paterson Move May Help Immigrants Facing Deportation - NYTimes.com
ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson announced on Monday that the state would accelerate consideration and granting of pardons to legal immigrants for old or minor criminal…

USCIS To Issue Redesigned Green Card
Fact Sheet
Introduction
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has redesigned the Permanent Resident Card¿commonly known as the "Green Card" to incorporate several…

Law Office of Michael West P.C. Blog

Passengers are often victims of car or truck accidents in Georgia. Usually, passengers have no control over a wreck that left them injured so may have rights to file a claim against a number of parties. The fact a passenger is unlikely to be…

Cars are safer than they used to be and have additional features like electronic stability features and airbags while millions of dollars have been spent on driver education. However, traffic deaths are rising notwithstanding these…

Trucking Industry Defeats New Rules to Keep Tired Truck Drivers off the Road

Tired truck drivers cause some terrible crashes on the roads of Georgia. However, fewer people are aware that regulations intended to improve the problem were defeated last year. The scuppering of new rules to keep tired truckers off the road…

Professionals in Cuba are in limbo – the Castro government is still deciding how much to loosen its firm grip on private enterprise. The private sector has seen tremendous growth over the past decade, with private employment rising…

The best way to end a hot day in sunny Havana, whether you’re there for business or pleasure, is with a cold drink (or two). But contrary to the craft beer craze here in the States, in Cuba it’s more about where you drink as…

In the continuation of a truly bizarre and unfortunate trend, two US diplomats in Havana recently lost their hearing due to covert devices that perform “acoustic attacks”; that is, devices that play frequencies out of the range of…

Trump Administration Should Offer Better Immigration Options for Entrepreneurs — Don’t Throw out the Entrepreneurial Baby, with the Parole Bathwater

The pattern by now is all too familiar. With the Trump Administration fully ensconced, the rollback of President Obama’s eight-year legacy continues. This time it involves the International Entrepreneur Regulation — an imperfect…

The Known and Unknown Future of the EB-5 Immigrant Investment Program at USCIS and the USCIS Ombudsman

Memes, apocrypha, obfuscation, head feints, hand-wringing, and supposition: These are the misleading and unreliable stuff of the Interweb. To a great extent, alas, they also infect the EB-5 ecospace. This article will avoid conjecture and…

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
~ Yogi Berra
The talk of the nation – at least that segment interested in U.S. green card benefits available to foreign investors – is about the…

Many people call the Coachella Valley immigration lawyers at Fong & Aquino LLP in a panic because their green cards are about to expire and they are concerned that the card’s expiration will subject them to deportation by the Trump…

Just recently, at the immigration panel sponsored by the Philippine American Bar Association and the Southwestern Law School Asian Pacific American Law Student Association. YOU: Audience member listening with rapt attention to the four…

The interplay of US immigration policies and the race to save Baby Charlie

On July 11, 2017, two members of Congress — Brad Wenstrup and Trent Franks — introduced a private bill to grant lawful permanent resident status to Charlie Gard and his parents. The purpose is to allow the family to…

Musings on Immigration

70% of People Detained in Recent ICE Raids Were &quot;Non-Targets&quot;

At the end of July, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 650 people during a four-day operation that targeted individuals who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border as unaccompanied alien children (UACs) and family units.According to a…

Supreme Court Says Travel Ban Will Not Affect Grandparents and Other Relative

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed certain parts of President Trump’s travel ban to proceed. The ban affects six Muslim-majority countries: Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Iran.The executive order originally banned all…

A great deal of debate has arisen over the proposed RAISE Act and “tougher visa vetting”, and whether it would be helpful or harmful to America overall. The consensus seems to indicate the latter. Economic Consequences Senators…

Canada has seen a significant increase of asylum seekers crossing the border from the United States seeking a new life in Canada. Local authorities in Quebec, Canada have repurposed Montreal’s old, unused, Olympic Stadium into a new…

Stories from the Border On Wednesday, August 2nd, the US President Trump announced to legislation that he plans on cutting legal immigration into the United States in half. He plans on doing this by implementing a very strict…

Recently, memos have surfaced that the Trump administration is working to expand the use of Expedited Removal in an effort to become tougher on immigration enforcement. This is bad news for anyone in the United States who doesn’t carry…

The government is deporting people at a record rate. The current administration has said that it is focused on “bad hombres,” but people who have been here for many years with no criminal convictions are being targeted as…

Is Sale or Delivery Of A Controlled Substance In Florida An Aggravated Felony For Immigration Purposes?

In a recent decision affecting Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that a conviction under Florida Statute §893.13(1)(a) for Sale or Delivery of a Controlled Substance is not necessarily an Aggravated Felony for…

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) identifies multiple grounds of inadmissibility to the U.S. These include criminal history, national security concerns, prior immigration violations, and health concerns. The INA allows the government…

U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Applying Different Citizenship Rules to Children of Unwed U.S. Citizen Mothers and Fathers Born Abroad

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides that almost anyone born within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States is a U.S. citizen by birth, also known as “birthright citizenship.” Individuals who were born…

The federal Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) gives several specific and distinct meanings to the word “child.” A person petitioning for an immigrant visa for their child must establish that the intended beneficiary meets a…

Can I lose my interest in my property? Do I have a future interest in any real estate? (Part 2 in a series on real estate ownership and transfer)

In part 1 of this series on real estate ownership and transfer, we had left off with a discussion of the types of freehold interests one has with regards to his or her ownership interest in property. The last type of fee simple we had…

[DISCLAIMER: This may be considered attorney advertising] When many people think about Bankruptcy, they are thinking about liquidation, also known as chapter 7 bankruptcy, and all the worries about exemptions that come with it. Many common…

Finding an attorney in Wisconsin is easy. Finding the best attorney for your specific legal issue, however, can be quite difficult unless you know what to look for. If you follow these tips, you should have a better chance of finding your…

WHY ARE ARTISTS BEING DENIED ENTRY INTO THE US? HOW DID IT COME TO THIS AND WHO DO WE BLAME?

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq. By now, you should all be aware that the incidents of artists and performers from a wide range of nationalities arriving in the United States as visitors (either on visitor visas (B-1/B-2) or…

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq. Here we go again… On March 6, 2017, President Trump issued a new Executive Order regarding US immigration to replace the previous Executive Order of January 27, 2017. The new Order takes effect on March…

For many years, the H-1B visa has provided a unique opportunity for foreign specialized workers to join the U.S. workforce. The visa was initially designed to supply American companies with foreign workers to offset shortages in the U.S.…

In his monthly report on the current trends and future projections of the visa bulletin, Charles (“Charlie”) Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State, provided additional insight…

In his monthly report on the current trends and future projections of the visa bulletin, Charles (“Charlie”) Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State, provided additional insight…

Immigration Blog

We are currently in an environment where there are continuous changes to the US immigration landscape. From an Executive Order issued without warning or much coordination between affected agencies to legal challenges around the country.…

USCIS has announced immigration relief measures that may help people affected by the recent natural disasters, such as the severe earthquakes in Japan, Burma and Ecuador. Types of relief that may be available are: • Change or extension…

I understand how frustrating it can be when dealing with U.S. immigration issues. I’ve been there, and I know exactly how you feel. But you are not alone. I’m here to help. Together we will go over your unique…

Under Iowa law, for a person to be accused of being a perpetrator of child abuse must be a person responsible for the care of a child. A person responsible for the care of a child is defined in Iowa Code 232.68 as follows: a. Parent,…

Supreme Court Rules Juveniles Serving Life Sentences Have Right to Have Their Sentences Reviewed

Those convicted of crimes committed as a juvenile who are serving life sentences have the right to seek a review and reduction of those sentences, under a United States Supreme Court ruling that was issued on January 25, 2016. In Montgomery…

Immigration Employment

The Miller Law Offices provides guidance for employers in advance of the April 1, 2016 initial filing date for H-1B petitions.Employers use the H-1B visa category to employ nonimmigrant foreign workers who possess the equivalent of a U.S.…

Plan Now for the New H-1B Filing SeasonThe Miller Law Offices provides guidance for employers in advance of the April 1, 2016 initial filing date for H-1B petitions.Employers use the H-1B visa category to employ nonimmigrant foreign…

The Justice Department has indicated that it intends to appeal the Circuit Court's decision to uphold the temporary injunction halting the implementation of President Obama's expanded deferred action immigration plans to the U.S. Supreme…

The NFL is facing a lawsuit from former NFL players who claim all 32 teams illegally obtained painkillers and pushed them to players to keep them playing through injuries. The lawsuit claims the painkillers were prescribed without any regard…

The contentious bankruptcy of Turner Grain Merchandising Inc. of Brinkley took an important turn on Thursday May 14, 2015 when a federal bankruptcy judge agreed to convert the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy into Chapter 7 liquidation.…

American Eagle Energy filed chapter 11 bankruptcy after falling crude oil prices hurt the Colorado-based company. American Eagle Energy purchases and develops oil across oil fields in Montana and North Dakota. The company missed an interest…

As happened only a couple of years ago, we are faced yet again in 2013 with the threat of a government shutdown. I am re-posting this article which was originally published in 2011 with some modifications.
Because the U.S. federal government…

The long awaited "Advance Copy of USCIS Final Rule to Support Family Unity During Waiver Process" was just released. This final rule relating to the unlawful presence waiver is not effective yet, but at least we're…

Commandment #6 of Applying for Naturalization: Thou Shall Go Back to Your Root

Not remembering important information can complicate an applicant's naturalization application. This is especially true when dealing with issues of eligibility. That's why having a copy of one's "A file" has become increasingly…

U.S. immigration law is extremely complex and must balance multiple goals, many of which often conflict. To make things even more difficult, piecemeal legislation and special interest lobbying over the years have left numerous provisions on…

For the &quot;enforcement first&quot; or &quot;enforcement only&quot; people

Yesterday, a client of mine had an immigration interview. She is in her 20's and is married to a U.S. citizen. She and her husband were high school sweethearts and still act like newlyweds even though they've been married for more than 2…

You might not believe it considering all the controversy surrounding immigration in the U.S., but we have one of the most—if not the most—wide open and liberal immigration policies in the world. Every year, more than 400,000…

Tony Yapias says a taco street vendor showed the excitement — and questions — that the estimated 125,000 immigrants who are in Utah illegally have about the new bipartisan immigration-reform bill just introduced in…

A woman may owe quick-acting passers-by for escaping her wrecked minivan before it burst into flames. West Valley City Fire Department spokesman Bob Fitzgerald said the 43-year-old woman’s minivan rolled after being involved in a crash…

Woman hit by car in downtown Salt Lake City upgraded to serious condition

A woman was in serious condition Friday, the day after she was struck in downtown Salt Lake City by a car. Salt Lake City police said the 58-year-old woman was hit while crossing the intersection of 900 S. West Temple … Continue…

Florida Immigration Lawyers Blog

Temporary Immigration Benefit Relief Measures Available to Those Affected by Hurricane Sandy
USCIS has posted a reminder to immigrants and nonimmigrants affected by Hurricane Sandy of certain benefits and relief that may be available to…

Senator Marco Rubio is going to introduce his version of the Dream Act with hopes of getting an approval by the end of the summer. We hope that this will help millions of young people who are living in the United States with no hope for the…

Last year, the Obama Administration announced that it would pursue a different policy with respect to the 300,000 or so deportation cases languishing in the federal court system. Immigrants with "low priority" cases may be granted a stay,…

Over the past few months, I have received a couple of calls from people asking for cancellation of removal. When I tell them that cancellation of removal is only available in deportation proceedings, they ask, "So should I surrender myself…

When it comes to family members, people will do almost anything to ensure unity, be it a long lost cousin or their mother. When they hear that one family member might arrive by Christmas but another might arrive by Christmas 2014, they start…

I wonder what do you think about Google’s decision to confront China’s censorship by pulling out of the country entirely despite a potential lost of profit for not doing its business with now the second largest economy in the word? A…

We are moving further away from the double dips danger! Last month the US economy added 162,000 jobs- a strong showing of a potentially more sustained recovery for US economy. Payroll gains are largely boosted by private sectors and much less…

Today, in an interview with Fox News in Beijing, President Obama warned that “the US economy could head into a ‘double-dip recession’ unless urgent steps were taken to rein back America’s mounting level of public debt,” reported the…

Amid all of Trumps bluster about Nationalism, building a wall at the Mexican border, and protecting American jobs, the Trump Administration has quietly and quickly raised the number of temporary unskilled labor visas to allow more Mexican…

Many people are concerned about the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (aka DACA) program. Despite White House assurances in the beginning of the administration that DACA would be safe, the Trump Administration now…

Congress is working on sweeping changes to our immigration system that will reduce large numbers of immigrants who receive their lawful status through Legal Permanent Residents or United State Citizens. The bill, Reforming American…

Texas exonerations were again the highest in the nation last year. In many cases, defendants were convicted of a crime that didn’t happen. A report issued earlier this year found the number of people exonerated in the United States…

Many people are unaware that religious workers can qualify for short-term R visas to work in the United States. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an R-1 visa holder is a foreign national who arrives in the…

The federal government is continuing to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions in the United States. At the same time, these cities are pushing back by denying ICE detainer requests. Detainer requests are made by Immigration and Customs…

In our continuing series of reports, Charles (“Charlie”) Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State, shares his most recent analysis of current trends and future projections for the…

The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced today, July 24, 2017, that it will again expand its resumption of premium processing for certain types of H-1B petitions. Effective immediately, H-1B petitioners who are (or have a…

Every year, the ABA Journal invites nominations for its Blawg 100 list, a compilation of staff and reader “favorites” within the legal blogosphere. The rigorous selection process for the 2017 list has begun, with the…

ImmigRantings

Last week, Republican lawmakers Tom Cotton (Arkansas) and David Perdue (Georgia) joined the President for a press conference as they unveiled the updated version of their bill, Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act.…

In true presidential fashion, President Trump tweeted over the weekend that his administration will begin to conduct “extreme vetting” of visa applicants under the pretense of improving national security. This vetting…

Immigration-Related Arrests are on the Rise and the Republicans are Crafting a New Bill

Even in the absence of any newly signed executive orders, immigration topics continue to dominate the news cycle. This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency tasked with enforcing the nation’s immigration…

Immigration Wage & Hour Law Blog

The Case for Using Actual Photographers in Your Entertainment Marketing

As many hospitality industry owners know, a new breed of lawsuit is targeting the entertainment industries such as restaurants and gentlemen’s clubs. Recently, those establishments that use images from unknown sources for marketing…

Restaurants have become the newest targets for wage and hour attorneys. Restaurants are particularly susceptible to wage claims for a variety of reasons. Actions that increase risks to restaurant owners include paying employees cash without…

When starting a business, one of the most important decisions to make is what kind of business to run. Obviously, choosing the product or service you provide is important, but so is the form your business will take. The type of business…

New York Traffic Ticket Attorney Blog

Maria knew someday she would receive this phone call. Like all bad news, you never think today will be the day. But, today was Maria’s day. Her dad is terminally ill with cancer and today’s phone call…

Antonio always left too late for work. His job was exactly 12 minutes away on a good day. He knew this because he had timed the commute. His shift started in 10 minutes and he frantically sped towards the Ritz Carlton in…

A vacation was just what Liza Peeza needed after finishing her first semester at PACE University in Manhattan, New York. Her ambition in life had always been to become a lawyer. The reality of long days of school,…

Ayo and Iken PLC General Practice Blog

When a person is in the middle of an emotional time, it can be difficult to make good, long-term decisions. A divorce is the very definition of an emotional time, and plenty of divorced people have lived to regret decisions made in the heat…

It has been another impactful first half of the year for the Ayo & Iken law firm as our attorneys continue to fight for their clients facing difficult times, dealing with everything from freeing a client unfairly jailed to keeping a…

Dinnertime is increasingly strained and the kids are pretty sure mom and dad don’t like one another all that much. There’s no small talk going on, no laughing at private jokes, no acknowledgement of one another’s days, even…

In-Country Refugee/Parole Processing for Minors in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala (Central American Minors – CAM) | USCIS: EspañolUpdate: On July 26, 2016, Department of State (DOS) and DHS announced that the CAM program would expand…

Nepal TPS renewed for 18 months (re-registration starts today) - Drew Law Office, pllc.
Current TPS Nepal beneficiaries who want to extend their TPS must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs from OCT 26 to DEC…

Florida Immigration Law Blog

Shortly after his inauguration in January, President Trump signed an executive order that placed limits on the ability of nationals of seven majority Muslim counties to travel to the United States. Under this order — which quickly…

Advantages and Disadvantages of Investment in a Franchise to Obtain the E-2 Visa

E-2 investor visas are specific types of visas that permit foreign nationals to enter the United States to direct and develop a commercial enterprise in which they have invested a substantial amount of money or capital. There are numerous…

Immigration has long been a hot topic in both political and legal news, particularly when it comes to programs that are designed to assist undocumented immigrants in obtaining legal status. Many of these programs are now under threat by the…

Once your K1 Fiance Visa application has been approved by USCIS, you will need to start working with the US Embassy location in the country where your fiancé lives. Every USCIS approval notice has an expiration date of 4…

The purpose of a K1 Fiance Visa is to provide a visa to the foreign finace of a US Citizen who wishes to get married. Its a benefit of US Citizenship. When processing the visa application, the US Government…

Immigration and Employment Law Blog

Here is a video of a speech that I gave a few months ago to an overflow crowd in Houston. I was talking about my predictions for immigration raids of churches, hospitals, synagogues, mosques and other places where immigration officials…

The immigration laws passed by Congress provide special provisions for people with disabilities. In particular, there is a process called disability naturalization, where individuals who cannot learn to speak English or otherwise retain…

While my staff and I have been hard at work helping individuals and companies to solve their immigration issues this week, there have been many stories about immigration in the news. The top story this week was the Supreme Court‘s…

Canada Immigration Blog

When Justin Trudeau and his cabinet colleagues ambled through Ottawa to be sworn in this time last year, the new Prime Minister was much-quoted for repeating the line “sunny ways”. This, of course, was an allusion to Wilfried…

I was in communication with an American friend of mine this week. It has been a tough few days for Phil, who lives in Ohio. Not only did his home state fall into the Trump column on election night, but the President-elect won enough states to…

Earlier this year, on June 17, an Act to amend the Citizenship Act passed the House of Commons in Ottawa. This eagerly-awaiting piece of legislation is known as Bill C-6.
Among the proposed amendments in C-6 is a reduction in the amount…

The HMA Law Firm Blawg

When you apply for a green card (permanent residency) from inside the US, you have to show you are admissible as if you were outside the US trying to come in. It's on Form I-485, which used to be 6 pages long and would ask you all kinds of…

DACA appears safe, for now. It seems media across the spectrum reports that it's a(nother) broken promise for Trump - with the Washington Times adding that the reversal "enrages conservative base" and the Daily Caller bemoaning that "100,000…

Dr. John Tanton ​I will place updates here. Follow me on Facebook or on Twitter @HMAesq for notifications.BACKGROUNDAs an immigration lawyer, in the wake of ICE raids, stalled immigration reform, detention of children,…

For your kids, summertime means no school and plenty of time for fun activities. Between trips to the local pool, summer camp, and vacation time with their parents, they’re always in for a good time. When it comes to divorced…

Whether you’re deciding on child custody in court or working out an agreement with the other parent, the courts will always have the final word on your child custody arrangements. When the court rules on a child custody order, you and…

Prenuptial agreements enable prospective spouses to decide and delineate, prior to marriage, their rights and obligations if their marriage ends – either because of the death of one spouse or by divorce. A prenuptial agreement allows…

By Jose Aponte, Immigration Attorney at Powers Law Group Changes are coming for the U.S. policy towards the Caribbean island of Cuba, a policy that Trump administration had criticized as “one-sided deal.” On June 16, 2017 the…

USCIS is reminding the public that the designations of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone terminate effective May 21, 2017. To provide sufficient time for an orderly transition, the Department of Homeland…

Chicago Immigration Lawyer Blog

A Businessmen Fails to Meet Threshold Requirement for a National Interest Waiver

Our law firm often works with foreign national whose work is in the national interest of the United States. The lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer are tracking decisions under the new NIW framework under Matter of DHANASAR, 26 I.…

The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down as unconstitutional citizenship statute that favors unwed mothers over unwed fathers in transmission of U.S. Citizenship. Going forward, both are disfavored

The Chicago immigration attorneys at Zneimer & Zneimer reviewed today’s United States Supreme Court decision with regard to children born abroad to unwed parents. Prior to today’s decision, the statute provided for…

AAO issued another decision under the new NIW framework, denying national interest waiver for Physician and Cardiology Researcher

The Chicago law firm of Zneimer & Zneimer is tracking decisions under the new NIW framework and is providing a summary of decisions applying Matter of DHANASAR, 26 I. & N. Dec. 884 (AAO 2016) In a recent appeal from a national…